Device for aromatising a gas medium

ABSTRACT

The inventive device for aromatising a gas medium comprises a chamber provided with a flow booster for mixing the gas medium with aromatic fumes. Said fumes are delivered to the chamber by a dispenser which is embodied in the form of a reservoir containing a liquid aromatic substance. The dispenser is provided with a system of nozzles for supplying the aromatic substances to the mixing chamber. The supply of the substance is carried out by producing pressure pulses inside the chamber. Said pulses occur as a result of a pulse operation of actuating elements which are arranged in the chamber and embodied in the form of thermistors, stricting elements and controlled commutator. Said actuating elements are controlled by a field programmed logic array which is also controlled by a panel or a computer and programmed in relation to a value, duration and repetition rate of voltage pulses coming to actuating elements. The diameters of the nozzles range from 10 to 70 μm, the distance therebetween being less than 50 μm.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to devices for producing aromatized airflows, and is aimed at establishing a more complete pattern of asurrounding world when it is used in the aggregate with other multimediameans. The present invention may be used in medicine and also inpharmaceutical, food, chemical and perfume industries, where it isnecessary to reproduce the known odors and produce the new ones, andalso to reproduce various climatic conditions. The invention is suitedfor producing gaseous mixtures with a specified content of constituents,for example, checking mixtures, etc.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There have been known a process and a device therefor, comprising aconvective diffusion of an aromatizer carried out into the air from thesurface of evaporation. To carry out evaporation, the aromatizer isheated by the hot water (see, for example, USSR Inventor's Certificate1,775,119, Int. Cl. A61L 9/00, dated 1990).

The drawbacks with the known technical solution consist in duration ofgoing into the operating mode (heating of water to 60-95° C.),impossibility to produce several odors and impossibility to perform thesynthesis of a new odor.

The closest prior art has been disclosed in a device for aromatizing agaseous medium containing a chamber for mixing the gaseous medium withvapors of an aromatizer, said chamber is provided with inlet and outletpipes; at least one aromatizer dispenser connected to the mixingchamber, said dispenser containing a vessel for the aromatizer;actuating elements connected with a power supply; a unit for controllingthe operation of the device; a gaseous medium flow booster provided witha control unit, for circulating the gaseous medium through the mixingchamber (see, USSR Inventor's Certificate 1,808,335 A1, Int. Cl. A61L9/00, dated 1989). In this prior art, an actuating element is a laserthat travels from one section containing the aromatizer to another. Withthe change in an odor, it is necessary to ventilate a housing and use aspecial device to neutralize the odor. The drawbacks with the knowndevice are as follows:

-   -   1. Aromatic substances are arranged in open sections. A vapor        pressure of a majority of solid and all liquid aromatic        substances is rather high. Therefore, even without heating of        the samples by a laser, the air entering the working chamber        will be enriched with vapors of aromatic substances. At the        outlet of the device, the air will always contain a quantity of        vapors of the aromatizer.    -   2. An evaporation rate of the aromatizer on heating of the        sample depends on its temperature. In turn, a maximum heating        temperature is confined to the temperature values with which        destruction of a material begins. Consequently, a vapor quantity        that may be admitted into the airflow per unit time is also        limited.    -   3. The processes for heating and vaporizing the aromatizer are        rather slow. Consequently this device may only be used in cases        where a fast response of the device to a controlling signal or a        fast replacement of one odor with another are not needed.    -   4. Moving elements (a laser) are present in the device. The        availability of the moving elements shortens the service life of        the device and invites additional works as regards the device        maintenance.    -   5. The device makes use of an odor neutralizer. It is known that        in order to neutralize an odor of each aromatic substance, a        variety of absorbents are used. Therefore, in order to handle        different aromatic substances, there is a need to develop a very        complicated device for neutralizing an odor.    -   6. The laser may vaporize one aromatizer only; that is to say        the device prevents mixed odors from being produced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device thatovercomes the above described drawbacks and enables one to change theodors quickly, alter their intensity, obtain a predetermined mixture ofodors, expand the range of concentration of an aromatizing substance perunit volume of a gaseous medium, for example the air.

This object is solved in accordance with the present invention by meansof a device for aromatizing a gaseous medium containing a chamber formixing a gaseous medium with vapors of an aromatizer, said chamber isprovided with inlet and outlet pipes for circulating the gaseous medium;at least one aromatizer dispenser connected to the mixing chamber, saiddispenser containing a vessel for the aromatizer and an actuatingelement to be connected to a power supply; a unit for controlling theoperation of the device; and a gaseous medium flow booster forcirculating the gaseous medium through the mixing chamber. In accordancewith the present invention the aromatizer dispenser additionallycomprises a reservoir connected to the vessel for a liquid aromatizer.In addition, a wall of the aromatizer has, at least, one nozzle forinjecting the aromatizer into the mixing chamber, and the actuatingelement made to create pressure pulses in the reservoir filled with thearomatizer is arranged inside the reservoir on its wall fabricated froman insulating material.

This technical solution allows alteration, over a wide range, of aquantity of the aromatizer coming to the mixing chamber per unit time.Change in the quantity of the aromatizer coming to the mixing chamber isachieved by altering a frequency, duration and amplitude of pulsessupplied to the actuating elements of the dispenser and also by alteringthe number of the aromatizer nozzles that operate concurrently. Thedevice makes it possible to produce various concentrations ofaromatizers in the air and alter a concentration and a flow rate of theair by a signal from a control unit. Saturation of the airflow in themixing chamber with the aromatizer takes place within hundredths ofsecond (the time of vaporization of droplets) after a control signal wassupplied to the device. Termination of the aromatizer delivery to theworking chamber takes place within hundredths of second after acorresponding signal was supplied to the device. The device makespossible mixed odors. The mixing of several odors takes place during asimultaneous operation of several dispensers. Replacement of one odorwith another takes place in a time of changing the air in the workingchamber. With the specified flow rates of the air through the workingchamber, this time shall not exceed 5 seconds. The device allowsoperation with a variety of aromatic substances, since a wide range ofsolvents may be used to produce solutions of aromatic substances.

A control unit may be connected to actuating elements through aprogrammed logic unit. The programmed logic unit may be embodied in theform of a controller provided with a multiplexing unit of controllingthe parameters of voltage pulses.

There may be several actuating elements, as in the case with nozzles;the said actuating elements may be arranged opposite the nozzles, alongthe axis of the nozzles or with a shift with respect to the axes of thenozzles. It is possible to arrange the nozzles partially under the firstvariant and partially under the second variant. The choice of aparticular variant of arranging the actuating elements and nozzles isdefined by physico-mechanical properties of a liquid aromatizer used.

According to the present invention, the elements intended to producepressure pulses in the dispenser chamber and to supply the aromatizerthrough the nozzles to the mixing chamber are made in the form ofstricting and/or resistive elements. Piezoelectric crystals may be usedas stricting elements and thermistors—as resistive elements. When usingdispensers of thermistors as the actuating elements, the heating of thearomatizer occurs only in a time of a pulse feeding the actuatingelement (in the neighborhood of 5 μsec). Dispensers with the actuatingelements made in the form of resistors, for instance thermistors, may beapplied in case where it is necessary to reduce the cost of the device.

It was established that the best results were achieved when the nozzleswere embodied in the form of orifices with the diameters in thereservoir wall ranging from 10 to 70 μm. This enables to produce, in theprocess for dispensing, rather small droplets which have an opportunityto vaporize in the flow of a gaseous medium before the aromatizerdroplets ejected from the nozzles could reach the wall of the mixingchamber. It is determined that the best operation of the nozzles isensured by the choice of a distance therebetween being no less than 50μm.

As a liquid aromatizer, use is made of an aromatizing substance itselfor a solution of the aromatizer in a liquid solvent that does not affectan organoleptical perception of an odor of the aromatizer. When using asolvent, it is important that a gaseous medium has a reduced content ofthe solvent vapors, because an increased content of these vapors retardsvaporization of the aromatizer solution. For instance, when the airsaturated with the water vapors is used as a gaseous medium along withthe use of an aromatizer aqueous solution, vaporization of thearomatizer droplets may not occur at all. In this case a gaseous mediumflow booster must be provided with a device for a gaseous mediumpreparation, which envisages the use of a water absorber (airdesiccation). The device for the gaseous medium preparation may beprovided, should the need arise, with a heater (cooler) of the gaseousmedium, thus enabling expansion of a set of organoleptical perceptions.To control the operation of the device for the gaseous mediumpreparation, it may be actuated from a programmed logic unit.

Depending on the function of the present invention, a unit forcontrolling the operation of the device is used in the form of a specialpanel, or a computer connected to the input of a programmed logic arraythrough standard computer ports.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic general view of a device for aromatizing a gaseousmedium;

FIG. 2 illustrates an aromatizer dispenser;

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of the process for controlling theoperation of an aromatization device.

BEST MODE TO CARRY OUT THE INVENTION

The accomplishment of a device for aromatizing the air suggests that itsoperation is possible in combination with a computer. The devicecomprises a chamber 1 for mixing a gaseous medium with an aromatizer.The chamber is tightly joined to a booster 2 for circulating the gaseousmedium, in this case, the air. The air coming to the chamber passesthrough an air preparation unit 3, where the air is desiccated fromvapors of atmospheric moisture. Dispensers 4 of aromatic substances areconnected to the mixing chamber 1. Each dispenser is provided with avessel 5 for storing an aromatic substance. A dispenser reservoir 6 isfilled with an aromatizer solution coming from the vessel 5 through anorifice 7. Aromatizer solutions arrive at the chamber 1 through nozzles8 made in a wall 9 of the dispenser reservoir. An outlet of the nozzles8 is arranged within the chamber 1. A full flow rate of the aromatizersolution is defined by the flow rate through each nozzle 8 and by thequantity of nozzles operating concurrently. A commutator 10 regulatesthe quantity of nozzles operating concurrently. Actuating elements 11 ofthe dispenser regulates a solution flow rate through each nozzle.Saturation of the prepared air with aromatic substances takes placeduring vaporization of aromatizer solutions in the working chamber 1.The air saturated with an aromatizer comes to a consumer through anoutlet pipe 12. On termination of the supply of the aromatizer solutionto the working chamber 1, the aromatizer is removed and, accordingly, anodor is neutralized. When several dispensers 4 operate concurrently, aconsumer receives a mixture of odors. The dispenser 4 of aromaticsubstances (FIG. 2) contains a plate 13 made of an insulating material,said plate serving one of the walls of the reservoir 6 with its innerside having actuating elements 11 of the dispenser 4 (which are applied,for example, onto the surface of the plate 13). The said elements areintended to produce pressure pulses in the reservoir 6 of the dispenserand to supply the aromatizer through the nozzles. The vessel 5 forstoring aromatic substances comprises a housing 14 tightly joined to acover 15 of this vessel. In the cover 15 of the vessel there is anopening 16 to connect the insides of the vessel with the atmosphere.Current supply plates 17 arranged on the plate 13 serve to electricallyconnect the actuating elements 11 of the dispenser 4 to the commutator10 with its controlling input connected to a commutating output of aprogrammed logic unit (PLU) 18. The actuating elements 11 are arrangedalong the axis of the nozzles 8 or with a shift in respect of theseaxes. A combined arrangement is also possible (with a part arrangingalong the axis of the nozzles and a part arranging with a shift inrespect of these axes). The actuating elements 11 are stricting and/orresistive elements, for example, piezoelectric crystals or thermistors.The best characteristics are observed when the nozzles are accomplishedwith the diameter ranging from 10 to 70 μm and the distance betweenseparate nozzles being no less than 50 μm. The PLU is made programmed inrelation to parameters of voltage pulses coming to the actuatingelements 11, and it has an input for connection to a unit 19 forcontrolling the operation of the device for aromatization. The PLU has asecond input connected to a controlling input of a unit 20 forcontrolling an air flow rate booster 2, and a third input (not shown inthe drawing) connected to a controlling input (not shown in the drawing)of an air preparation unit 3. In this instance, the PLU is madeprogrammed in relation to a value, duration and repetition rate ofvoltage pulses coming to the actuating elements 11. The PLU may beembodied in the form of a controller provided with a multiplexing unitfor controlling parameters of voltage pulses coming to the actuatingelements. In the case under consideration, the unit 19 for controllingthe operation of the device is embodied in the form of a computerconnected to the PLU input through standard ports. The unit 19 may alsobe embodied in the form of a specialized control panel. The deviceaccording to the present invention is provided with an electric powerunit 21 connected to the PLU, the commutator and the unit 20.

The operation of the claimed device is explained by the followingexamples of embodying and using the present invention.

EXAMPLE 1

A dispenser is filled with a 1% solution of a jasmine flavor in ethylalcohol. Use is made of the dispenser with 48 nozzles arranged in fourrows, 12 nozzles in each row; the diameter of the nozzles is 30 μm, andthe distance between the nozzles is 200 μm. Piezoelectric crystals arearranged on an insulating plate. Each piezoelectric crystal is locatedalong the axis of its own nozzle. When applying an electric pulse to thepiezoelectric crystal, pressure jumps arise within a dispenser chamber,with droplets of the solution formed at a cut of the nozzles. Control ofthe device is carried out from a control unit designed purposely. In theworking chamber, airflow is produced with a flow rate being 500n*cm³/sec and a linear velocity being 20 cm/sec. The solution comes tothe airflow in the form of droplets having 30-45 μm in size. The voltageacross a piezoelectric crystal is 24 V, a repetition rate of pulses is10 kHz, and a pulse duration is 4 μsec. A total flow rate of thesolution amounts to 10⁻ ⁻³ g/sec. All droplets are vaporized at adistance of 2 cm from the outlet of the nozzles. Concentration of anaromatic substance in the airflow at the outlet of the working chamberaccounts for 10¹⁴ cm⁻³. A jasmine odor is perceived in the airflow atthe outlet of the working chamber. Following the tapping off of thevoltage from the piezoelectric crystals, the odor vanishes within 3-4seconds.

EXAMPLE 2

A dispenser is filled with a 1% solution of an aloe flavor in ethylalcohol. Use is made of the dispenser with 48 nozzles; the diameter ofthe nozzles is 30 μm, and the distance between the nozzles is 200 μm.Piezoelectric crystals serve as actuating elements of the dispenser.Control of the device is carried out through a computer COM-port. In theworking chamber, airflow is produced with a flow rate being 2,500cm³/sec and a linear velocity being 100 cm/sec. The solution is suppliedto the airflow in the form of droplets having 30-45 μm in size. A totalflow rate of the solution amounts to 10⁻³ g/sec. All droplets arevaporized at a distance of 1.5 cm from the outlet of the nozzles.Concentration of an aromatic substance in the airflow accounts for2*10¹³ cm⁻³. An aloe odor is perceived at the outlet of the workingchamber. Following the tapping off of the voltage from the piezoelectriccrystals, the odor vanishes within 2-3 seconds.

EXAMPLE 3

A dispenser is filled with a 1% solution of a camomile flavor in ethylalcohol. Use is made of the dispenser with 12 nozzles; the diameter ofthe nozzles is 65 μm, and the distance between the nozzles is 100 μm.Resistors serve as actuating elements of the dispenser. The resistorsare arranged along the axes of the nozzles. Control of the device iscarried out through a computer COM-port. In the working chamber, airflowis produced with a flow rate being 500 cm³/sec and a linear velocitybeing 20 cm/sec. The solution is supplied to the airflow in the form ofdroplets having 65-70 μm in size. A total flow rate of the solutionamounts to 10⁻³ g/sec. All droplets are vaporized at a distance of 5 cmfrom the outlet of the nozzles. Concentration of an aromatic substancein the airflow accounts for 10¹⁴ cm⁻³. A camomile odor is perceived atthe outlet of the working chamber. Following the tapping off of thevoltage from the actuating elements of the dispenser, the odor vanisheswithin 3-4 seconds.

EXAMPLE 4

A dispenser is filled with a 1% solution of a brier flavor in distilledwater. Use is made of the dispenser with 12 nozzles; the diameter of thenozzles is 30 μm. Piezoelectric crystals serve as actuating elements ofthe dispenser. Control of the device is carried out from a control unitdesigned purposely. In the working chamber, airflow is produced with aflow rate being 500 cm³/sec and a linear velocity being 20 cm/sec. Thesolution comes to the airflow in the form of droplets having 30-45 μm insize. A total flow rate of the solution amounts to 10⁻³ g/sec. Alldroplets are vaporized at a distance of 2.5 cm from the outlet of thenozzles. Concentration of an aromatic substance in the airflow accountsfor 10¹⁴ cm⁻³. A brier odor is perceived at the outlet of the workingchamber. Following the tapping off of the voltage from a piezocell, theodor vanishes within 3-4 seconds.

EXAMPLE 5

A dispenser is filled with a 10% solution of a pine ethereal oil inisopropyl alcohol. Use is made of the dispenser with 12nozzles; thediameter of the nozzles is 40 μm, and the distance between the nozzlesis 220 μm. Resistors serve as actuating elements of the dispenser. Theactuating elements are shifted by 20 μm with respect to longitudinalaxes of the nozzles. In the working chamber, airflow is produced with aflow rate being 500 cm³/sec and a linear velocity being 20 cm/sec. Thesolution comes to the airflow in the form of droplets having 40-45 μm insize. A total flow rate of the solution amounts to 10⁻⁴ g/sec. Alldroplets are vaporized at a distance of 3 cm from the outlet of thenozzles. Concentration of an aromatic substance in the airflow amountsto 10¹³ cm⁻³. A pine odor is perceived at the outlet of the workingchamber. Following the tapping off of the voltage from the actuatingelements of the dispenser, the odor vanishes within 4-5 seconds.

Industrial Application

As appears from the examples, above, the proposed device enables toproduce a wide range of odors in a specified volume. The emergence of anindividual or synthesized odor is found within 5-10 seconds after anelectrical voltage was applied to the actuating elements of thedispenser, whereas the elimination of an odor occurs within 2-5 secondsafter an electrical voltage was removed from the actuating elements ofthe dispenser. The use of dispensers with the nozzles having thediameter less than 70 μm and the choice of parameters of supplying theactuating elements of the dispenser make it possible to produce dropletsof solutions with dimensions not exceeding 70 μm. Vaporization of thedroplets having such dimensions occurs in the working chamber in therange from 100 cm³/sec to 2,500 cm³/sec and the air flow rates in theworking chamber in the range from 20 cm/sec to 500 cm/sec. Theapplication of such a process for dispensing solutions of aromatizersenables to minimize dimensions of the device. The application ofdispensers with different quantity of nozzles and/or the application ofdifferent quantity of nozzles in each dispenser allows alteration of theflow rate of solutions to be introduced into the working chamber over awide range (10⁻⁵-10⁻¹ g/sec), which, in turn, enables to alter theconcentration of aromatic substances in the air flow passing through theworking chamber over a wide range (10¹¹-10¹⁶ cm⁻³). The application ofdispensers with different quantity of nozzles makes it possible to usearomatic substances with different limits of sensibility as to odors inthe range from 10¹² to 10¹⁵ cm⁻³. The device makes it possible toproduce a wide range of individual or synthesized odors in apredetermined volume ˜1 m³ for an individual user. For collective users,an odor may be produced in large volumes when using several devicesoperating concurrently. The proposed device allows the production ofessentially any individual odor and creation of new odors based on thesynthesis of the simplest aromatic substances.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to apreferred embodiment, the invention is not limited to the detailsthereof, and various changes and modifications obvious to one skilled inthe art to which the invention pertains are deemed to be within thespirit, scope and contemplation of the invention as further defined inthe appended claims.

1 A device for aromatizing a gaseous medium comprising a chamber formixing the gaseous medium with aromatizer fumes; at least one aromatizerdispenser connected to the mixing chamber, said dispenser containing avessel for the aromatizer and an actuating element made with apossibility to be connected to a power supply; a unit for controllingthe operation of the device; and a booster for circulating the gaseousmedium through the mixing chamber, characterized in that the aromatizerdispenser additionally comprises a reservoir connected to the vessel forthe aromatizer; a reservoir wall has at least one nozzle for injectingthe aromatizer into the mixing chamber; the actuating element isembodied to produce pressure pulses in the reservoir filled with thearomatizer and arranged in the interior of the reservoir on its wallmade of an insulating material. 2 A device for aromatizing a gaseousmedium according to claim 1, characterized in that it additionallycomprises a commutator and a logic unit; a dispenser reservoir is madewith more than one nozzle in its wall and provided with more than oneactuating element; actuating elements being connected to the commutatorwith its controlling input connected to a commutating output of thelogic unit having an input for connection to a unit for controlling theoperation of the device; a second output of the logic unit beingconnected to a booster for circulating the gaseous medium. 3 A devicefor aromatizing a gaseous medium according to claim 2, characterized inthat the logic unit is made programmed in relation to a value, durationand repetition rate of voltage pulses coming to the actuating elements.4 (cancelled). 5 A device according to claim 1, characterized in thatthe actuating elements are arranged opposite the nozzles, along theiraxis and/or with a shift with respect to the axes of the nozzles. 6(cancelled). 7 A device according to claim 1, characterized in that thediameters of the nozzles range from 10 to 70 μm and the distance betweenseparate nozzles is no less than 50 μm. 8 (cancelled). 9 A deviceaccording to claim 1, characterized in that a gaseous medium flow ratebooster is provided with an air preparation unit connected with a thirdinput of the logic unit. 10 A device according to claim 1, characterizedin that a computer connected to an input of the logic unit is used asthe unit for controlling the operation of the device. 11 An aromatizerdispenser comprising a vessel for storing an aromatizer and an actuatingelement that regulates an aromatizer flow rate, characterized in that itfurther comprises a reservoir to be filled with an aromatizer solutioncoming from the vessel for storing thereof; the actuating element is apiezoelectric crystal arranged in the interior of the reservoir with itswall having a nozzel to pass an aromatizer solution from the reservoirwhen the piezoelectric crystal produces pressure pulses. 12 Anaromatizer dispenser according to claim 11, characterized in that itcomprises several piezoelectric crystal, the reservoir wall containsseveral nozzles, the piezoelectric crystal are arranged opposite thenozzles so that any opening passes an aromatizer solution with theavailability of a pressure pulse only from the correspondingpiezoelectric crystal. 13 An aromatizer dispenser according to claim 12,characterized in that the diameter of the nozzles in the reservoir wallranges from 10 to 70 μm, the distance between the openings exceeds 50μm.